Colorado baseballers drafted out of HS in first round of MLB draft

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Roy Halladay celebrates after throwing a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds during Game 1 of baseball’s National League Division Series. (Mel Evans, The Associated Press)

While numerous local players have been drafted in the first round of Major League Baseball’s June amateur draft, there have been only four five (the website listed Jayson Peterson as having gone to East High School in Denver, Mo.) who were drafted straight out of high school, according to baseball-reference.com.

The speedy Brunson played two years in Detroit’s farm system, collecting 78 stolen bases but struggled at the plate, hitting just .197. He played the 1996 season with Brevard County in the Marlins’ farm system, batting just .205 with 28 steals. He played three more seasons in his 30s for four different independent teams.

Major League stats: None.

P Jayson Peterson, Denver East ’9415th overall pick in the 1994 draft by the Chicago Cubs

The 6-foot-4 righty was the first of two local prep pitchers selected in the first round of the 1994 draft. Peterson played five seasons in the minors, compiling a 28-35 record with a 4.93 ERA. His best season was in 1997 when he was 14-6 with a 4.48 ERA and 112 strikeouts for Burlington in single-A ball. Peterson stopped player after the 1998 season.

Former Colorado Rockies starter Scott Elarton pitches in the first inning against the San Diego Padres on June 25, 2003 in San Diego. (The Associated Press)

The big 6-foot-7, 240-pound Elarton carved out a decent niche in the majors during the late ’90s and early 2000s. In 2000, he had his best season with a 17-7 record and 4.81 ERA for the Astros. After a slow start in 2001, he was traded to the Rockies for pitcher Pedro Astacio. In three seasons with the Rockies, he compiled a 4-12 record with a 7.60 ERA. He finished his career playing four more years with the Indians and Royals.

“Doc” Halladay is easily the most decorated Major League starting pitcher to be drafted out of high school from Colorado. Over his 16-year Major League career, Halladay tallied a 3.38 ERA with 203 wins and 2,117 strikeouts. He was awarded the Cy Young Award in 2003 and 2010, and was an eight-time all-star, starting four games. His 3.58 strikeout-to-walk ratio is 16th all-time, according to baseball-reference.com. Halladay retired Dec. 9, 2013 due to a persistent back injury.

Major League stats:

Year

Team

W

L

S

ERA

IP

BB

K

1998

Toronto

1

0

0

1.93

14.0

2

13

1999

Toronto

8

7

1

3.92

149.1

79

82

2000

Toronto

4

7

0

10.64

67.2

42

44

2001

Toronto

5

3

0

3.16

105.1

25

96

2002

Toronto*

19

7

0

2.93

239.1

62

168

2003

Toronto*

22

7

0

3.25

266.0

32

204

2004

Toronto

8

8

0

4.20

133.0

39

95

2005

Toronto*

12

4

0

2.41

141.2

18

108

2006

Toronto*

16

5

0

3.19

220.0

34

132

2007

Toronto

16

7

0

3.71

225.1

48

139

2008

Toronto*

20

11

0

2.78

246.0

39

206

2009

Toronto*

17

10

0

2.79

239.0

35

208

2010

Philadelphia*

21

10

0

2.44

250.2

30

219

2011

Philadelphia*

19

6

0

2.35

233.2

35

220

2012

Philadelphia

11

8

0

4.49

156.1

36

132

2013

Philadelphia

4

5

0

6.82

62.0

36

51

Total

16 years

203

105

1

3.38

2749.1

592

2117

* denotes All-Star

OF Darnell McDonald, Cherry Creek ’9726th overall pick in the 1997 draft by the Baltimore Orioles

A two-sport star in high school, McDonald was one of the premier prep running backs to ever play in Colorado. He had a scholarship to play both football and baseball at Texas, but opted pursue a professional career after being selected in the first round. He made his debut for Baltimore in 2004, playing sparingly. After bouncing around several teams for the next few years, he became a starter for Red Sox in 2010, batting .270 with 18 doubles and nine home runs. He announced his retirement via Instagram on April 6, 2014.

Neil Devlin, originally from the Philadelphia area, has covered high school sports in Colorado for more than 30 years, writing about the people, athletes and events that encompass the Rocky Mountain prep sports world.